Lesson Title: DNA structure Continued: Chromosomes and all their wonder! (part one)
(Part two) coming later is meiosis!
State Standards: GLEs/GSEs
LS1 (9-11) INQ+SAE+FAF -1, Use data and observation to make connections between, to explain, or to justify how specific cell organelles produce/regulate what the cell needs or what a unicellular or multicellualar organism needs for survival (e.g. protein synthesis, DNA replication, nerve cells) 1a)Students demonstrate understanding of structure and function- survival requirements by explaining the relationships between and amongst the specialized structures of the cell and their functions (e.g., transport of materials, energy transfer, protein building, waste disposal, information feedback, and even movement!)
LS1 (9-11) FAF + POC-2: Explain or justify with evidence how the alteration of the DNA sequence may produce new gene combinations that make little difference, enhance capabilities, or can be harmful to the organism (e.g., selective breeding, genetic engineering, mutations).2. a) Students demonstrate an understanding of the molecular basis for heredity by describing the DNA structure and relating the DNA sequence to the genetic code. c.) describing how DNA contains the code for the production of specific proteins.
National Standards:
Context of Lesson:
Students have been taught about the basic double-helical structure of DNA from previous lessons. They have also learned about mitosis, through a review game, and previous classes. At this point, they are ready to discuss chromosomes: where they start to duplicate, what they do, and how they're built.
Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge:
Level 2, Skills and Concepts: The students here are to focus on collecting and organizing data that they learn about the different concepts of meiosis. They will explain it further to the class at hand.
Prerequisite Knowledge:
Students should have a thorough understanding of mitosis (through recitation, coloring, drawing, and lecture) at this point, and also of the basic structure of DNA, which is essential for understanding the structure of chromosomes, and thereby understanding meiosis and genetic recombination events in the future.
Plans for Differentiating Instruction:
Higher-level learners will be assigned the more conceptually difficult passages to read from their textbook, and the lower-level learners will be assigned to less conceptually difficult topics.
Accommodations and modifications:
Depending on the situation, reading passages may be shortened to only the essential paragraphs
- explanations may only need to be how they're built and what chromosomes do, and where they are located for example.
Environmental factors:
students need to be put into groups, and work out of those.
Materials:
- colored chalk (for opening portion)
- yarn of different colors/textures (enough for each group- chromosomes)
- graphic organizers
- visible, loud timer
- bucket with numbers 1 through 5 on pieces of paper inside it (for drawing purposes)
Objectives:
At the end of the class period, students will be able to explain by asking questions of the other groups - 1. what exactly a chromosome is made of, 2. where it occurs within a cell, 3. when chromosomes appear in a cell's lifetime, 4. when they divide, and 5. what chromosomes do; through teaching the class upon each of the five sections.
Instruction:
(Key to Lesson Plan's Shorthand) TA: Teacher action TV: Teacher words SV: Student voice (anticipated responses) SA: Student action (anticipated action or movement) E: event/ wait time/ travel time, it should be emphasized and noted! Italics!: These emphasize specific "reasons" for the action, if they're not otherwise apparent. Also known as "stealth objectives", a deeper reason for saying or acting as you do.
Opening:
TA: Collect exit sheets after students enter, greet everyone as they walk in and get settled, "how was your day?" etc. this is so that YOU as the teacher can get to know their names, seriously now! TV: Good morning/afternoon! Can someone remind me exactly what we did the last class? SV: We took the DNA out of strawberries! TV: Yes! Exactly that. TV: Someone please describe to me how we did this, I'll write it down on the board, I tend to remember things a bit better when I write them down. TA: Go to the chalkboard, start writing what the students say. Draw exactly what they say, if they miss a part, do not cover for them, but leave it blank and ask questions concerning it. "Does the DNA really look like this?" "What does it look like?" "Why did you add isopropanol? OH you added it to get rid of the nuclear membrane...of course" "why did you squish the strawberries?" "How did you get the DNA out of the strawberry? Beaming? 'beam me up scotty!' " TA: If students are really stuck, start to walk them through the exact reasoning of why they initiated the exact procedure that they went through yesterday.
Engagement:
TV: Overall then, there are lots of strands of DNA floating around. So then, if I were a cell, how easy would it be to duplicate and then split apart these random strands all over the place? What do you think could make it easier? TA: Demonstrate as you speak by using your strands of yarn- "tangled" "split apart" As a visual aid to demonstrating different strands of DNA and eventually, chromosomes. TV: So the cell compiles its DNA into what are called, chromosomes. Today, I would like, when I ask, that you break up into groups, and read the section that you've been assigned. Then, together make up (with the yarn at hand as a model) a presentation to the class upon your topic. If you are NOT presenting, you are to ask questions throughout the presentation, as if you were a reporter. TA: Start handing out the explanation sheet, with the main question and also instructions upon it. HAVE LABELS upon each sheet of previously thought of groups- who is in what group. Each group is broken up based on who exactly excels, and who struggles with the material. Students who have a more difficult time may be placed in groups where there are students who do not struggle as much- thereby using scaffolding of the other students around them. TV: Alright, group one, read this. (CONTINUE WITH OTHER GROUPS) You will have- (set a timer) - fifteen minutes to finish! Start as soon as you get your assignment, and break into your groups. I will be coming around to help answer questions as you work on the readings. TA: Start writing on the board the different passages that the students in each particular group is supposed to read. This is to visualize for the students exactly what they are to be doing, as well as setting the timer lets the students know how fast they need to be going. E: Wait time, make sure students are working, and clarify any misunderstandings.
----timer rings TV: Okay, everyone all set? Good. Lets pick a group to go first, out of the hat. E: First group presents, students ask questions; groups continue on in order from there. (starts from three, the next to go would be four, then five) You will probably need to provide some structure for students to listen to each other during these presentations. Why not do this activity as a full jigsaw with quiz at the end?
Closure:
TV: Okay, so you've learned a little bit about how chromosomes work. Tomorrow, we're going to dig deeper into the works of chromosomes, and how to meiotically divide!
Everyone take out their sheets that they have been working on; and a pencil or pen.
Hold your pencils in the air in your right hand.
Thank you, I know you all have pencils now. Now write down that tonight for homework, I would like you all to write an editorial - a newspaper article that gives an opinion on an issue- about chromosomes, one paragraph please, spelling/grammar do not count, but really coherency and flow of the piece should matter. TA: Write the editorial assignment on the board as you explain it above. Why not post your homework assignment somewhere so that you don't rely solely on verbal instructions?
Assessment:
Students will be handing in their sheets as they return to class the next day; in which I can assess how valuable the information given to them was.
Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: DNA structure Continued: Chromosomes and all their wonder! (part one)
(Part two) coming later is meiosis!
State Standards: GLEs/GSEs
LS1 (9-11) INQ+SAE+FAF -1, Use data and observation to make connections between, to explain, or to justify how specific cell organelles produce/regulate what the cell needs or what a unicellular or multicellualar organism needs for survival (e.g. protein synthesis, DNA replication, nerve cells) 1a) Students demonstrate understanding of structure and function- survival requirements by explaining the relationships between and amongst the specialized structures of the cell and their functions (e.g., transport of materials, energy transfer, protein building, waste disposal, information feedback, and even movement!)LS1 (9-11) FAF + POC-2: Explain or justify with evidence how the alteration of the DNA sequence may produce new gene combinations that make little difference, enhance capabilities, or can be harmful to the organism (e.g., selective breeding, genetic engineering, mutations). 2. a) Students demonstrate an understanding of the molecular basis for heredity by describing the DNA structure and relating the DNA sequence to the genetic code. c.) describing how DNA contains the code for the production of specific proteins.
National Standards:
Context of Lesson:
Students have been taught about the basic double-helical structure of DNA from previous lessons. They have also learned about mitosis, through a review game, and previous classes. At this point, they are ready to discuss chromosomes: where they start to duplicate, what they do, and how they're built.Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge:
Level 2, Skills and Concepts: The students here are to focus on collecting and organizing data that they learn about the different concepts of meiosis. They will explain it further to the class at hand.Prerequisite Knowledge:
Students should have a thorough understanding of mitosis (through recitation, coloring, drawing, and lecture) at this point, and also of the basic structure of DNA, which is essential for understanding the structure of chromosomes, and thereby understanding meiosis and genetic recombination events in the future.Plans for Differentiating Instruction:
Higher-level learners will be assigned the more conceptually difficult passages to read from their textbook, and the lower-level learners will be assigned to less conceptually difficult topics.Accommodations and modifications:
Depending on the situation, reading passages may be shortened to only the essential paragraphs- explanations may only need to be how they're built and what chromosomes do, and where they are located for example.
Environmental factors:
students need to be put into groups, and work out of those.Materials:
- colored chalk (for opening portion)- yarn of different colors/textures (enough for each group- chromosomes)
- graphic organizers
- visible, loud timer
- bucket with numbers 1 through 5 on pieces of paper inside it (for drawing purposes)
Objectives:
At the end of the class period, students will be able to explain by asking questions of the other groups - 1. what exactly a chromosome is made of, 2. where it occurs within a cell, 3. when chromosomes appear in a cell's lifetime, 4. when they divide, and 5. what chromosomes do; through teaching the class upon each of the five sections.Instruction:
(Key to Lesson Plan's Shorthand)
TA: Teacher action
TV: Teacher words
SV: Student voice (anticipated responses)
SA: Student action (anticipated action or movement)
E: event/ wait time/ travel time, it should be emphasized and noted!
Italics!: These emphasize specific "reasons" for the action, if they're not otherwise apparent. Also known as "stealth objectives", a deeper reason for saying or acting as you do.
Opening:
TA: Collect exit sheets after students enter, greet everyone as they walk in and get settled, "how was your day?" etc.this is so that YOU as the teacher can get to know their names, seriously now!
TV: Good morning/afternoon! Can someone remind me exactly what we did the last class?
SV: We took the DNA out of strawberries!
TV: Yes! Exactly that.
TV: Someone please describe to me how we did this, I'll write it down on the board, I tend to remember things a bit better when I write them down.
TA: Go to the chalkboard, start writing what the students say. Draw exactly what they say, if they miss a part, do not cover for them, but leave it blank and ask questions concerning it. "Does the DNA really look like this?" "What does it look like?" "Why did you add isopropanol? OH you added it to get rid of the nuclear membrane...of course" "why did you squish the strawberries?" "How did you get the DNA out of the strawberry? Beaming? 'beam me up scotty!' "
TA: If students are really stuck, start to walk them through the exact reasoning of why they initiated the exact procedure that they went through yesterday.
Engagement:
TV: Overall then, there are lots of strands of DNA floating around. So then, if I were a cell, how easy would it be to duplicate and then split apart these random strands all over the place? What do you think could make it easier?TA: Demonstrate as you speak by using your strands of yarn- "tangled" "split apart"
As a visual aid to demonstrating different strands of DNA and eventually, chromosomes.
TV: So the cell compiles its DNA into what are called, chromosomes. Today, I would like, when I ask, that you break up into groups, and read the section that you've been assigned. Then, together make up (with the yarn at hand as a model) a presentation to the class upon your topic. If you are NOT presenting, you are to ask questions throughout the presentation, as if you were a reporter.
TA: Start handing out the explanation sheet, with the main question and also instructions upon it. HAVE LABELS upon each sheet of previously thought of groups- who is in what group.
Each group is broken up based on who exactly excels, and who struggles with the material. Students who have a more difficult time may be placed in groups where there are students who do not struggle as much- thereby using scaffolding of the other students around them.
TV: Alright, group one, read this. (CONTINUE WITH OTHER GROUPS) You will have- (set a timer) - fifteen minutes to finish! Start as soon as you get your assignment, and break into your groups. I will be coming around to help answer questions as you work on the readings.
TA: Start writing on the board the different passages that the students in each particular group is supposed to read.
This is to visualize for the students exactly what they are to be doing, as well as setting the timer lets the students know how fast they need to be going.
E: Wait time, make sure students are working, and clarify any misunderstandings.
----timer rings
TV: Okay, everyone all set? Good. Lets pick a group to go first, out of the hat.
E: First group presents, students ask questions; groups continue on in order from there. (starts from three, the next to go would be four, then five)
You will probably need to provide some structure for students to listen to each other during these presentations. Why not do this activity as a full jigsaw with quiz at the end?
Closure:
TV: Okay, so you've learned a little bit about how chromosomes work. Tomorrow, we're going to dig deeper into the works of chromosomes, and how to meiotically divide!Everyone take out their sheets that they have been working on; and a pencil or pen.
Hold your pencils in the air in your right hand.
Thank you, I know you all have pencils now. Now write down that tonight for homework, I would like you all to write an editorial - a newspaper article that gives an opinion on an issue- about chromosomes, one paragraph please, spelling/grammar do not count, but really coherency and flow of the piece should matter.
TA: Write the editorial assignment on the board as you explain it above.
Why not post your homework assignment somewhere so that you don't rely solely on verbal instructions?
Assessment:
Students will be handing in their sheets as they return to class the next day; in which I can assess how valuable the information given to them was.Reflections
(only done after lesson is enacted)Student Work Sample 1 – Approaching Proficiency:
Student Work Sample 2 – Proficient:
Student Work Sample 3 – Exceeds Proficiency: